Victoria Colvin Rides in Style to Win $10,000 North American Junior/Amateur-Owner Challenge Cup/Daisy Farish and Hillcrest Blue Halo Win Grand Pony Hunter ChampionshipSun Oct 07, 2012Upper Marlboro, MD – October 6, 2012 – The $10,000 North American Junior/Amateur-Owner Challenge Cup Final Round highlighted the evening session today at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, sped to the win in the jump-off on Monsieur du Reverdy and captured first place, despite finishing the course with no stirrups. That also gave her the overall win for the North American Junior/Amateur Challenge Cup, sponsored by Ariat, for which she was awarded the Ariat Congressional Cup. Earlier in the day, the Grand Pony Hunter Championship was presented to Hillcrest Blue Halo, ridden by Daisy Farish for Bill Schaub. The Capital Challenge Horse Show, held at the Prince George's Equestrian Center, will run through Sunday, October 7.

There were 30 entries in tonight's final round, which was held in jump-off format. There were four clear rounds, and they went for speed over the shortened course, designed by Steve Stephens. First to go was Nathaniel Britell on Kimberlite. They had one rail in 41.064 seconds and finished in third place. Haley Schaufeld and Ana Sia also had four faults, but with a slower time of 43.165 seconds, they placed fourth. Barbara Ruziska and Victoire van het Dingeshof were faster in 42.343 seconds and a clear round, but they would have to wait and see what Colvin could do.

It turns out, Colvin could do quite a lot. She and Monsieur du Reverdy, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding by Quidam de Revel, started out with speed, but had a hiccup after landing from the liverpool oxer into the corner. The horse tripped and caught his shoe, pulling it off, and Colvin lost a stirrup. She continued through the double combination, but after that finished the rest of the course with no stirrups.

When asked about her jump-off plan, she said with a smile, “I didn't know if I was going to go inside or around to the second jump. I wasn't deciding to drop my stirrups either. I jumped the liverpool and kind of fell down, and he pulled a shoe. Then I almost fell off. Then I jumped the in and out with one stirrup. I couldn't get it back, so I just decided to drop my stirrups since it was much easier.”

Colvin said that the same thing happened at the Devon Horse Show where she lost one stirrup but decided to drop both of them and was able to win there too. Last weekend, Colvin finished second in the equitation finals after completing a work-off without stirrups. She compared, “This was easier than the equitation because I didn't have to think about my position, even though I almost fell off!”

Despite winning by two seconds, Colvin didn't think she was fast enough for victory. “I didn't think I had the time because I slipped and thought that would take time. I didn't think I was going that fast,” she acknowledged. “Maybe because I was without stirrups, it seemed slower or something.”

Colvin was excited to add this win to her career highlights after finishing in second place last year with Waminka. She remarked, “This one is pretty cool. Since it's indoors, it's pretty prestigious. It's pretty nice to win this.”

For their win in the final round, Colvin was presented with the Remy Martin Perpetual Trophy, donated by Rolling Acres and Melanie Wright. The Best Junior Jumper Rider Award, sponsored by Back Country Farm, was given to Victoria Colvin, while Darby Toben won the Best Amateur Jumper Rider Award sponsored by Lyman T. Whitehead and Eight Fences, LLC.

Daisy Farish Cleans Up Pony Awards

The Grand Pony Hunter Championship, sponsored by Lochmoor Stables/Mindy and Greg Darst, went to Hillcrest Blue Halo, owned by Bill Schaub and ridden by 11-year-old Daisy Farish of Versailles, KY. They won three out of four classes in the small pony hunter division and placed second in the remaining class.

They were awarded with the VanderMoore Designs Trophy, donated by VanderMoore Designs. Farish was named the Best Pony Rider, an award sponsored by Archibald Cox and Brookway Stables. They were presented with the Kitty Borisoff Memorial Trophy donated by her many friends. They also won the EMO Trip of the Show with a score of 88. The reserve championship went to Rico Suave and Isabella Russekoff, who rode for Suave Pony, LLC. They placed first, third, and fourth.

The Harper Taskier Wright Memorial Trophy, given in memory of Harper by her loving parents Michael and Alexandra Borissoff Wright, friends, and family whose lives she touched was given to Farish for winning the Small Pony Hunter championship.

Schaub bought Hillcrest Blue Halo, a nine-year-old Welsh mare by Vida Blue, as a five-year-old, and his student Parker Wright started the pony in competition. Farish started riding her this year at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Schaub said, “It's a good match. The pony wants you to be confident because she's such a careful jumper. She wants a rider who sits still and gives her confidence. Daisy does a good job at it. The pony is just nine now; she's just coming into her own. It's her time.”

Farish described, “She has a huge stride and she has no problem with any division. She can do it very easily. She's really good.” Farish also said that the pony is “easy to handle” at home and her six-year-old sister, Coco, is able to ride her as well. There isn't really a difference between at home and the shows. “She likes to come up to the challenge at the shows, but she's always good at home too,” she said. “She's a clever pony and she can learn things very fast.”

Farish won the championship in the same division at Capital Challenge last year and said, “I love this horse show. I like the rings and their shape. I like the way you can ride in them.”

Farish also won the Children's Pony Hunter championship on Northwind Marin, a six-year-old Crossbred gelding by Small-Land Martello and owned by Prue Richardson. They won an over fences class and the under saddle. The reserve champion was Woodlands Not Quite White, ridden and owned by Chloe White. They were first and third in the division.

In the Medium Pony Hunters, sponsored by Jeff and Keeley Gogul/Flagship Ltd, Topeka King and 13-year-old Taylor St. Jacques of Glen Allen, VA, won the championship. The pair won two classes in the division. St. Jacques rode for her trainer, Kim Stewart, who she thanked for the opportunity to ride Topeka King. The reserve champion was Trillville, ridden by Lili Hymowitz and owned by Rose Hill Farm. They placed first, third, and fourth in the division.

The pair won the handy hunter class, and St. Jacques said it is one of her favorite classes. “I like doing the handy because it's really fun and energetic. You get to do lots of turns, so it makes it more fun than just doing outside-diagonal, outside-diagonal,” she explained.

St. Jacques started riding when she was six years old, but only started riding Topeka King, a 10-year-old Welsh gelding by Stonehedge Spectacular, two months ago. This is only their fourth show, and this is St. Jacques' first time at Capital Challenge. She described, “The pony is really fun and really easy. He really is a good pony and I'm so happy that I got to ride him here. He's been doing shows for a year or two now. He takes a lot of leg. He's really lazy, but when you ask him to go, he goes really easily. He's very responsive.”

The Large Pony Hunter championship went to Aladdin, ridden by Emma Kurtz for Spencer Chapin. Kurtz, a 12-year-old rider from Hudson, OH, rode Aladdin to first, second, and third place ribbons. The reserve champion was Reservations Required, ridden by Meredith Darst and owned by Alicia Moellering. They received three second place ribbons.

Kurtz has been riding Aladdin for a year and got the ride since the pony is for sale. She noted that Aladdin is “usually really laid-back.” This was her first time at Capital Challenge and said it “feels good to win.” Kurtz and Aladdin will also compete at the Pennsylvania National and Washington International Horse Shows.

The Small Junior 16-17 Hunter championship was awarded to Peakewood Pharm Inc.'s Photo Shoot, ridden by Shawn Casady of Harriman, TN. They placed first, second, third and fifth in the division. The reserve champion was Parkland, ridden by Barbara Ann Merryman for Jennifer Gates. They placed first, second, and fourth.

The nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was originally a low-level event horse when trainer Bill Schaub found him. Schaub noted that he is a “really, really good jumper,” but at the time, “He wasn't a good mover and he wasn't very pretty at that time. He was all bony. But he jumped everything really well and that's what I liked about him.”

Photo Shoot started out in the First Year Green Hunters with professional rider Molly Sewell, and has since shown in the junior hunters with Casady, Barbara Ann Merryman, Porter Allen, and Victoria Press. Press will continue on with Photo Shoot in the remaining indoor horse shows.

“We just had to work through some greenness about horse shows,” Schaub said of the horse's early show career. “He was lazy and didn't know to go forward. Now all of a sudden he's just decided that he's a show horse. He's figured it all out. We named him Photo Shoot because he's always looking like he wants to get his picture taken. It makes me really proud that he won here because it's one we picked as a baby.”

Schaub added, “It's nice because this is Shawn's last junior ride on him and he was champion, so that meant a lot to us.”

Mahala Rummel's Charade and rider Ashley Foster of Brookeville, MD, took the championship in the Large Junior 16-17 Hunters, sponsored by Beacon Hill Stables and RC Stables. They finished first, second, and fifth in the division. Savant, ridden by Shawn Casady and owned by First Partners LP, was the reserve champion after placing first, fifth, and sixth.

Foster started riding Charade, a 12-year-old Warmblood gelding, last November to help sell him. They are qualified for all four indoor shows, and she believes that his qualities are that “he's very slow and he has a very low attitude. He really doesn't care and is totally chill.”

Foster said that since she started riding him, their partnership has grown. “I think we've gotten to know each other much better. We get along and we're a pretty good pair,” she said.

This is Foster's first hunter championship at Capital Challenge. “It's great; I love showing here,” she remarked.

The winner of the $5,000 WCHR Handy Hunter Challenge, sponsored by Johnson Horse Transportation Inc., was Nick Haness on Gelato.

The Capital Challenge Horse Show concludes tomorrow with championships for the 15 & Under sections of the junior hunters, both sections of the Children's Hunters, the WCHR Pony Challenge, WCHR Junior Challenge, WCHR Children's Hunter Finals, and the World Champion Hunter Under Saddle Junior class.

If you can’t attend the Capital Challenge Horse Show, remember you can see all the action live and find full results at www.capitalchallenge.org. For live scoring please visit www.equestrianlive.com.

About Capital ChallengeIn its 19th year, the Capital Challenge Horse Show sets itself apart with a distinct and unique focus on preeminent hunter competition. Held each autumn at the Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, this year's show will take place on September 29-October 7.

Top competitions include the ARIAT National Adult Medal Finals and the THIS National Children’s Medal Finals, along with the Capital Challenge Equitation Weekend, presented by Bigeq.com. In addition to these prestigious equitation events, the Capital Challenge Horse Show will once again host the World Champion Hunter Rider Finals and will assemble the country's best horses and riders to compete in junior, amateur, and professional hunter classes.

For more information, please visit www.capitalchallenge.org or visit the Capital Challenge Horse Show page on Facebook!